Really fantastic work from Jarrod Lawson – one of those underground singers who should be huge, if the world had any justice! Lawson's a cut above, and completely his own singer – the kind of individual talent that comes along once in a generation, like Al Jarreau or Michael Franks – and like both of them, he's got a way of singing in a style that's steeped in jazz, but which comes across with a soulful palette that's all his own – the kind of mode that grabs you right away, and makes you know that you're listening to something really unique, really different, and really special! And while we've loved Lawson before, this album is his crowning achievement to date – the kind of set that really pushes him over the top, and which earns the term "instant classic" in our book. Lawson plays plenty of sweet keyboards next to his amazing vocals – and titles include "Be The Change", "Universal Chord", "Evalee", "Connected", "Embrace What We Are", "Soul Symphony", "Love Isn't Always Enough", "I'll Be Your Radio", and "How Long". CD

A stunning debut from Jarrod Lawson – a singer we fell in love with right away – and who we'd rank right up there with some our favorite mellow soul artists of the 70s! Yes, the cover's got a look that's more indie rock – but Jarrod's got this righteous vibe and sense of flow that seems to tie together distant strands of influence – from Marvin Gaye to Gil Scott Heron to jazz singers like Al Jarreau, Kurt Elling, or Mark Murphy! Backings are jazzy, but with a focused, soulful groove – warmed up by keyboards, but kept fresh with lots of live instrumentation that really matches the rich sense of inflection in Lawson's voice – an amazing range, but one that's never overstated, overdone, or overused. All the tracks are originals – and the record's one that you'll be spinning for years to come! Titles include "Sleepwalkers", "Walk In The Park", "Redemption", "Needed", "Everything I Need", "All That Surrounds", "Spiritual Eyes", and "Together We'll Stand". CD

A great trio date – with Calvin Hill on bass, Louis Hayes on drums, and Lawson on piano! Many titles are original – and tracks include "The Thinker", "The Beast From Bali Bali", "Creepy Chicken", and "23rd Street Blues". CD

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The second album by this excellent all-female San Francisco jazz combo – a live date that's even more cooking than their debut! As before, there's a sweetly breezy style to the record – that hip SF sound of the 70s – with echoes of Braziliana and soul amidst the group's jazzier leanings – all wrapped together with a sound that's tight, but never uptight! The female vocals give the music a feel that's like Janet Lawson, Sheila Landis, or some of the hipper European singers of the 70s – and instrumentation is mostly acoustic, save for a bit of Fender Rhodes. Titles include a version of Gil Scott-Heron's "Willing", plus "Greeting Song", "Call It Jazz", "Too Bad", "Golden River/Golden Dream", and "Heaven Is In Your Mind". CD

Louis Armstrong on trumpet & vocal with Yank Lawson on trumpet, Jack Teagarden & Trummy Young on trombone, Barney Bigard & Edmond Hall on clarinet, George Dorsey & Hilton Jefferson on alto saxophone, Bud Freeman, Seldon Powell & Lucky Thompson on tenor saxophone, Dave McRae on baritone saxophone, bass clarinet & bass saxophone, Dick Cary, Earl Hines & Billy Kyle on piano, Everett Barksdal & George Barnes on guitar, Squire Gersh & Arvell Shaw on bass, Sid Catlett, Cozy Cole, Barrett Deems & Kenny John on drums & Velma Middleton on vocals. CD

Two Capitol classics from the great Gene Dunlap – back to back on a single CD! First up is It's Just The Way I Feel – a classic soulful fusion album recorded and released during the crucial years of the "Capitol Rare" sound! Gene Dunlap is a jazz drummer at heart – but he's got a flair for the modern soul song – and in the same style as Norman Connors or Harvey Mason before him, he manages to put together a strong record of grooves and ballads from behind the kit! The strongest point of the record is work by The Ridgeways, a female soul trio who sing on the best tracks, giving them a smooth Jones Girls-ish kind of sound. The album includes two modern soul classics – "Before You Break My Heart" and "It's Just the Way I Feel" – plus "Love Dancin", "Rock Radio", "I Got You", and "Surest Things Can Change". Party In Me is wonderful work from Gene Dunlap – a jazzy soul drummer, and also a maestro with a killer ear for a modern soul groove! The album's got a mix of grooves and sophistication that are a bit like the best early 80s material from Roy Ayers – never chartbound, and never too commercial – but nice and tight, and really well put together! The instrumentation has plenty of jazzy 80s groove touches – especially in the keyboards – and Dunlap does a nice job of balancing up beat tracks with the mellow moments we love so much in his work. Vocals are from a variety of singers – including the great Ethel Beatty, who'd sung with Roy Ayers – plus Phillippe Wynne, Pam Lawson, and Gene himself – and titles include "Something Inside My Head", "Something Special", "Corner Pocket", "There Will Never Be Another (Like You)", "Party In Me", "Jam City", and "This One's On Me". CD

An aggressive bit of funky fusion – a set that matches the talents of Japanese trumpeter Shunzoh Ohno with some hip American grooves from Reggie Lucas on guitar, Cedric Lawson on keyboards, Don Pate on bass, and Roy Haynes on drums! The sound is very full-on – in a mid 70s Miles Davis electric mode, but with perhaps a bit more of a funk touch on the best cuts – almost a refinement of the groove that Miles hit in Japan, fusing the energy into some great tunes that really pack a sharp punch! Haynes' drums are surprisingly heavy at points – and titles include "You Dig That?", "But It's Not So", and "I Remember That It Happened". CD

There's an island on the cover, but the music is all-soul, all the way through – a great collection of classic mellow moments from years back, plus a few excellent choices from more recent years as well! Still, the island's a great image for the sound of the set – as the music has this kicked-back vibe that provides a nice sort of escape from the everyday world – heavenly soul sounds that come both from rare classics, and some of the best of the current underground – brought together with the kind of care and class we've come to expect from the folks at Expansion Records. A wonderful mix of tunes – with titles that include "Remember To Remember" by Rick Holmes, "Under The Moon & Over The Sky" by Angela Bofil, "Living So Fast" by Novocento with Danni Gottlieb & Dave Liebman, "I Choose You" by Paris, "You Are My Starship" by Norman Connors, "It Should Be you" by Ashanti Munir & Neil Letendre, "He Mandu (mother mix)" by Mouth Music, "Far Beyond" by Joey Negro & The Sunburst Band, "It's Like Air" by Sunny Hawkins, "Blending Colors" by Debra Debs, "Unconditional Love" by Greg Dean with Chantae Cann & Jarrod Lawson, "Mississippi Delta Blues" by Lamar Thomas with Carrie K Thomas, and "Peace In The Middle East" by Miri Ben-Ari & Kerri Chandler. CD

One of our favorite Atlantic albums by the great Yusef Lateef – an incredible session that has him dipping back into his earlier exotic roots with those great reed styles of the early 60s – yet also hitting a mix of soul and funk like some of his other albums from the time! The sound is tremendous – wonderfully righteous, at a level that really set the tone for more ambitious soul jazz projects of the 70s by other artists – including the best of the soul jazz underground who were often as inspired by Lateef as they were by Coltrane! The group's great, too – and features Blue Mitchell on trumpet, Sonny Red on alto, Hugh Lawson on piano, Cecil McBee on bass, and Roy Brooks on drums – next to Yusef's own work on tenor, flute, bamboo flute, tamboura, and percussion. Titles include "Sun Dog", "Moon Cup", "Othelia", "Like It Is", and the groovy "Juba Juba". CD

Not just a flute session from Yusef Lateef – as the set's a record with plenty of saxophone as well as the instrument named in the title! Yusef's mixing his bag nicely for this mid 60s classic – working through tunes that are a mixture of soulful hardbop and eastern exoticism – a shift that's marked by Lateef's changing reed work on tenor, flute, and oboe! The group's a hip quartet with players from Lateef's Detroit scene – the always-great Hugh Lawson on piano, plus Herman Wright on bass, and a young Roy Brooks on drums – all working with Lateef in a sound that almost points the way towards some of the innovations in 70s soul jazz, and which has surprisingly righteous touches that you wouldn't expect from such a simple package! Titles include Brooks' excellent groover "The Smart Set", plus "Oasis", "Road Runner", "The Golden Flute", and "Head Hunters". CD

A beautifully haunting set by Yusef that marked his move to Prestige, and a sophistication of the Eastern-tinged jazz style that he developed during his years with Savoy. The tracks on here feature Yusef playing tenor, flute, and argol – with backing by a group of Detroit musicians that includes Hugh Lawson, Wilbur Harden, and Oliver Jackson, all frequent bandmates of Lateef. The tracks have a beautiful quality to them that mixes soulful jazz playing with Eastern approaches to arrangements, and they're unlike anything else we could describe (except, perhaps, some of Lateef's other LPs from the time!). Titles include "Meditation", "Love & Humor", and "Buckingham". CD

Wicked tunes hand-picked by the Japanese maestro of the groove – a heady batch of tracks collected by Yukihiro Fukutomi, with a brilliant melding of jazz, soul, and Latin influences! The set compiles 10 tracks from American and European sources – and features many hard-to-find remixes that surfaced briefly on expensive singles, but which have long gone by the wayside – making this collection even more essential to fans of the groove. Fukutomi presents the tracks in their entirety, unmixed – and titles include "Don't Mean A Thing (Incognito mix)" by Space Jazz Dub Men, "I Got Somebody New (original)" by Georg Levin with Clara Hill, "Everything (Yam Who rmx)" by Dwayne Morgan, "Life Rhythms (Raw Deal rmx)" by E Smoove, "Dreams Come True (Afronaught mix for Bugz In The Attic)" by Alison David, "Listen (Just Listen Louie's Master mix)" by Urban Species, "Cosmic Gypsy (Fila Brazilia rmx)" by United Future Organization, "I Just Wanna Say (Domu's Number One Mix)" by Michelle Lawson, and "Cloud 9 (Quenti Harris Shelter mix)" by Donnie. CD

Two Charles Mingus stalwarts come together here as co-leaders – drummer Dannie Richmond and tenorist George Adams, who also plays a bit of flute – in a quintet with Hugh Lawson on piano,j Mike Richmond on bass, and Jimmy Knepper on trombone – also a key Mingus sideman! CD

With Adams on tenor and flute, Richmond on drums – and Jimmy Knepper on trombone, Hugh Lawson on piano, and Mike Richmond on bass. CD

Features Harry Edison on trumpet, Buddy Tate on tenor and clarinet, Frank Wess on tenor and flute, Hugh Lawson on piano, and Ray Drummond and Bobby Durham on drums. Tracks include "Centerpiece", "S'Wonderful", "Bags Groove", and "Blue Creek". CD

The tenor of Eddie Lockjaw Davis makes an especially nice match for the trumpet of Harry Edison – two very different voices, coming together here with the unusual trio of Hugh Lawson on piano, Ike Isaac on bass, and Clarence Johnston on drums. Tracks include three Edison originals "Oo-ee!", "Jawbreakers", and "Moolah". The album also contains Miles Davis' "Four" and "Broadway", "A Gal In Calico", "I've Got A Crush On You", and "Close Your Eyes". CD

A fantastic record on Strata East – and a concept that shouldn't work as well as it does, but which comes off perfectly – thanks to the strength of the players! As you might guess from the title, the group's an all-piano ensemble – one that features hip talents that include Harold Mabern, Sonelius Smith, Stanley Cowell, Nat Jones, Hugh Lawson, and Webster Lewis – coming together in ways that have the pianos handling every part of the music – rhythm, melody, and all these great little bits around the edges – all on these long, stretched-out tracks that have lots of room for solo contributions too! The vibe is very Strata East, just all-piano – and titles include "Effi", "Killers", "Precious Lord", "The Almoravids", and "Man Extensions". CD

A killer later date from tenor genius Charlie Rouse – one that's quite different than his famous 60s work with Thelonious Monk, but equally wonderful in its own sort of way! The tracks are open, relaxed, and nicely swinging – with Rouse at the head of a quartet that features Hugh Lawson on piano, Bob Cranshaw on bass, and Ben Riley on drums – a nicely soulful trio, with solos from Lawson that ever every much a draw as the work by Rouse! But Charlie's the real charmer here – blowing his tenor with this raspy depth that almost has us wondering if he's using a baritone at times – serving up changes that sometimes reflect the modernism of his youth, but in a nicely subtle way. Titles include "Royal Love", "A Child Is Born", "The Clucker", "Let Me", and "Joobobie". CD

One of the few albums ever cut as a leader by the legendary bassist Doug Watkins! Although Watkins was one heck of a hardbop bassist in his day, he shows a new side on this enigmatic album from the early 60s – one that has him playing cello as the frontman for a group that includes Yusef Lateef and other Lateef bandmates like Herman Wright, Hugh Lawson, and Lex Humphries. The overall sound of the album mixes soul jazz and Lateef's mystical approach to jazz – with an unusual flute/cello/piano sound that's very nice – and which makes the album one of the most compelling Prestige sides from the time! Tracks include "Soulnik", "Andre's Bag", "Imagination", and "One Guy". CD

Kev Beadle dips into his private collection, and comes up with a stunning batch of jazzy tracks in the process! The grooves here aren't as locked up as the cover might imply – because some of these cuts are ones the global scene has dug for years – but they're definitely the kind of tracks that really need reviving, especially in a wonderful collection like this – where each new cut seems to bring out the best of the others! All tracks are nice and long, and most have some sort of vocals – blended with modal rhythms, Brazilian touches, and strong soulful solos throughout. 12 tracks on the CD version: "Song For Mozambique" by Archie Shepp, "I'mTrying To Find A Way" by Stanley Cowell, "Dreams Can Be" by Janet Lawson Quintet, "Wilpan's Walk" by Chico Freeman, "He Loves You" by Seawind, "Yours Is The Light" by Paz, "Carnaval" by Cortijo & His Time Machine, "=Autumn Song" by Appendix and more. CD

Michel Legrand is one of our favorite composers of all time – and although the man himself passed away in 2019, his music continues to live on strongly in the hearts of countless singers and musicians he's touched over the years – including those who work together on this wonderful tribute album! The set's very different than other Legrand-related projects of this nature – as both the choice of cuts and the execution is very special – not too pop-polished, or overly sentimental – as most of the numbers here are very spare and open – almost recorded as these elegies to Michel, with beautiful reworkings of his familiar themes, often just with piano and some other light instrumentation – never sleepy, given the talents on board, but sensitively done in just the right spirit of Legrand's genius. Titles include "Windmills Of Your Mind" by Chad Lawson, "Sans Toi" by Luca D'Alberto, "Les Parapluies De Cherbourg" by Lambert, "Toujoirs Jamais" by Akira Kosemura, "Peau D'Ane" by Alban Claudin, "Chanson De Jumelles" by Joseph Schiano Di Lombo, "How Do You Keep The Music Playing" by Moux, and "Summer Of 42" by Chilly Gonzales. CD